1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a tether apparatus and, more particularly, to a tether apparatus which reduces the need for maintenance of the same.
2. Background Art
Tether apparatuses have been known in the art for years and are the subject of numerous patents including: U.S. Pat. No. 6,639,516, entitled “Personal Tracking Device,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,529,131, entitled “Electronic Tether,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,612, entitled “Global cellular position tracking device,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,362,778, entitled “Personal location detection system,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,931, entitled “Device for monitoring the movement of a person,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,080, entitled “Body worn active and passive tracking device,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,461, entitled “Global positioning satellite tracking device,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,454, entitled “Hybrid monitoring of location of a site confinee,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,306, entitled “Location detector and monitor and method of using the same,” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,897, entitled “Home incarceration system”—all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety including the references cited therein.
In addition, various approaches have been taken toward the development of kinetic energy chargers and include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,794,783, entitled “Flat rotary electric generator,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,717,297, entitled “Electrical machine,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,255,799, entitled “Rechargeable Shoe,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,507, entitled “Electric power generator,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,279, entitled “DC generator,” U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,495,682 and 5,167,082, entitled “Dynamoelectric Shoes,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,186, entitled “Linear motion electric power generator,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,734, entitled “Dual rotary AC generator,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,827, entitled “Linear reciprocating electrical generator,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,246, entitled “Apparatus for producing electrical energy,” and U.S. Pat. No. 3,673,444, entitled “Rotary electric machine”—all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety including the references cited therein.
While tether apparatuses and monitoring devices have been known in the art for years, issues associated with energy consumption, battery life, and assembly maintenance remain problematic. To be sure, a substantial amount of time must be dedicated to recharging presently available tether apparatuses—especially with regard to a user wearing the tether who may lack the ability to properly charge the tether. Also, conventional tethers may require the replacement of primary electrochemical cells which increases inefficiency. For example, current tethers and/or monitors require that the individual wearing the tether recharge the unit at a docking/base station, or through a typical wall plug electrical charger such as those used by cellular phones. These methods are inconvenient if the user needs to be away from the base for a substantial period of time or has forgotten necessary charging equipment.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tether apparatus having one or more kinetic energy chargers to reduce and/or eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks associated with presently available tether apparatuses.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification, claims, and drawings.